close

Shakespeare Festival moves to October

By Frances Borsodi Zajac fzajac@heraldstandard.Com 4 min read
1 / 2

Photo courtesy of Jason King Jones of The National Players

Stephano discovers Caliban with his friend Trinculo, together in a courious position in this scene from The National Players’ production of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.’’ Pictured are (from left) Shakiera Sarai as Stephano, Ian Geers as Caliban and Jacob Mundell as Trinculo.

2 / 2

Photo courtesy of Jason King Jones of the National Players

In this scene from the National Player’s production of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,’’ Gonzalo calms Alonso after the loss of his son. Meanwhile, Antonio and Sebastian plot against the king. Pictured are (from left): Jacob Mundell as Gonzalo, Anthony Golden Jr. as Alonso.

The 42nd annual Shakespeare Festival at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus will take place Oct. 20-24, a calendar move to avoid unpredictable winter weather and test-preparation conflicts with local schools.

“I think we contemplated this for a few years – we went back and forth – especially after this last winter. We never knew if a there would be a delay or a cancellation. Weather was a big factor,” said Chad Long, manager of students affairs, about the festival, which was usually held in late January/early February.

“Some schools said they were getting ready for standardized tests and the weather delays and cancellations further complicated it,” said Dr. Dennis Brestensky, a retired professor who is festival chairman and founder, in reference to the many high schools and elementary schools that send students to the festival. “We hope by moving to October, we can increase attendance.”

Created by Brestensky as a way to help his English students appreciate the work of history’s most famous playwright, the Shakespeare Festival actually began at Penn State Fayette in October 1972 but quickly moved the next year to winter when there were fewer activities. The campus has always welcomed the local community to enjoy the festival for free with sponsorship provided by the Maggie Hardy Magerko Auditorium Endowment.

This year, the campus is providing even more support to the community by offering a bus stipend of up to $200 for the first 10 schools that make reservations to attend the festival. Officials hope the funds will be able to help schools that have been struggling with transportation costs in recent years.

Festival events are spread throughout the week, including live productions, acting workshops and exhibits. This year, the National Players from Olney, Maryland will present two, full-length plays, including “The Tempest,” and “As You Like It” in the Maggie Hardy Magerko Auditorium in the campus’ Community Center. The National Players are America’s longest-running classical touring company.

“The Tempest” will be offered on Wednesday, Oct. 22 at 7 p.m. while “As You Like It” can be seen on Thursday, Oct. 23 at 11 a.m. Both productions include a cast of 10 and will be followed by talk-back sessions.

Jacob Mundell, company representative and actor, said he enjoys presenting multiple shows to a community, commenting, “It stretches their imagination as to what theater can do.”

Talking about “As You Like It,” Mundell said, “There’s a fun energy – so many loose ends in this play that all come together at the end.”

He continued, “‘The Tempest’ is very much about magic – not only on this island but the magic of theater.”

The auditorium will also be the site for acting workshops by the National Players: “Speak the Speech – Decoding Shakespeare,” on Tuesday, Oct. 21 and “Vocal Technique” on Wednesday, Oct. 22. Both are offered from 12:15 to 2 p.m. Workshop attendees will include the campus’ amateur Shakespeare company called The Lion Players, who will be presenting “Twelfth Night” April 8-11.

Mundell said of Shakespeare, “As an actor, I enjoy the honesty on stage and the vulnerability on stage. Shakespeare brings poetry into it so the stakes are heightened. Performing in a Shakespeare play is an athletic feat.”

During the festival, the campus library will host Shakespeare exhibits Oct. 20-24 during its regular hours. The exhibition features artifacts from the “Shakespeare and Popular Culture” collection of Jeffrey Martin, a retired English teacher in the Albert Gallatin School District, an exhibit of photographs by Brestensky on “Shakespeare’s Stratford,” student projects and a display of the library’s Shakespeare books, videos, CDs and DVDs.

The festival is one more testament to the appeal of Shakespeare, who continues to make significant impact on modern life.

Bretensky noted the reason: “Shakespeare usually deals with human problems that are universal.”

He also said the theater experience gained from the festival “enriches your life because it exposes you to a world of imagination. That’s a side that doesn’t get much stimulation.”

In addition to the endowment, Brestensky said the festival is also made possible with help from Long, Johnny Marcolini, co-curricular programs coordinator; Amy Mihalko, library support specialist; Gerry Dorobish, who is retired from the library; and John Skinkis, instructional design and media.

Penn State Fayette is located along Route 119, north of Uniontown. While the plays offered at the Shakespeare Festival are free, reservations are required and can be made by calling 724-430-4271 or 724-430-4248. No reservations are required for the workshops.

CUSTOMER LOGIN

If you have an account and are registered for online access, sign in with your email address and password below.

NEW CUSTOMERS/UNREGISTERED ACCOUNTS

Never been a subscriber and want to subscribe, click the Subscribe button below.

Starting at $4.79/week.

Subscribe Today